Beast of Bladenboro

Art by Mister Sam Shearon

During the 1950's in a town called Bladenboro in North Carolina, a lot of nasty deaths happened to domestic animals. Lots of people blamed it on wild big cats, although the nature of the deaths was strange. Most of the victims were dogs, and they were severely mutilated. Whatever killed them, was more powerful than the dogs. The killer was capable of lifting the animals, tearing them to pieces and crushing them. Some of the witnesses found their beloved dogs killed by a dangerous menace who didn't leave much clues behind. 

The actual culprit was never found although plenty said they'd seen it. People described seeing a creature that was "similar in size to a bear". Some had seen a dark shape that might've appeared to be a panther or a large black German shepherd dog. Also very curious is that it made "sounds like a crying baby", which might've been from more than one witness. It was estimated that the creature weighed "150 pounds (70kg)" by the way it moved through the forest. Another believed it weighed up to 40kg. Many reported that it looked "feline". Tracks believed to be of the killer showed claws that were 2.5cm long.

It was a different eye witness who found a "mountain lion" approaching her, but when she screamed, it turned and ran away. Was this mountain lion responsible for the number of dog attacks? It seems likely although some things don't make sense. Was it a cat or even a huge dog? The tracks themselves resembled canine prints but that idea was quickly dismissed due to the size of them! Whatever it was, gave the sleepy town of Bladenboro fame.

She Wolf Night 

Abura-sumashi

 Japan is full of very interesting ghost stories and some of them are very bizarre. This includes the legend of the Abura-sumashi. It comes from folklore of Amakusa, a city in the pretty green hilly region Kumamoto Prefecture. 

The Abura-sumashi is a type of ghost that dwells in the woodlands of the mountain pass named Kusazumigoe. The entity's name Abura-sumashi means "oil wringer", as this is probably rooted to the times when people were overworked, in poverty and often labouring over oil cloths, made from the seeds of camellia sasanqua plants. Such oil was used to generate light in houses before there was electricity.  

The entity itself appears small and dressed in straw, with an oversized head that looked like a potato or a stone. There is a story that an old woman was walking along the mountain pass with her grandchild, when she said "this place used to be where the Abura-sumashi lived." Just then a strange light voice shouted out: "I still do!" 

It's said that the Abura-sumashi jumped out in front of people who travelled there. It was also believed that this entity is the ghost of a thief who stole oil and ran away into the woods. Many viewed the theft of oil from shrines and temples as punishable by turning into a Yokai (earthbound spirit) as what might've happened with the Abura-sumashi.

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The pirate Lioness

Although very fantasy sounding, with many popular aspects of warrior women and female knights, are the ladies of the high seas, the ruthless and dangerous women pirates. There are many in fiction, fantasy and film, but in history there are many women pirates too. But the most striking of all was Jeanne de Clisson who was a lioness of the sea, huntress and a warrior. 

She lived during the 14th century during the Hundred Years War, and she was of noble stock from the Breton region of France. She married very young and birthed seven children. She raised them well until she became a grieving widow. Her second husband was executed by King Philip VI, she went darker. She had lovers and married again, falling into dispute over estates, and then a fourth time. 

Jeanne raised three ships after selling much of her inheritance, and designed them all painting them black with red sails. These ships were impressive and frightening. Then she went on a mission, revenge, and made war with France, and went on a killing spree, beheading nobles. 

For more info with a much more expanded detail of her adventures as well as illustrations, visit link "The Bloody Lioness of Britanny" page at Lions and Lilies Wordpress. details on women in piracy and the history of women pirates visit this link:Ferocious women pirates at Smugglers Adventure Smugglers

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